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Making vegetable stock is so simple that now I wonder why I never tried it before. Since the weather has turned cold, soups and stews are showing up on our table more and more often. I was prepping a soup recipe a few weeks ago and started reading the ingredient list on store bought vegetable broth. It contained malodextrin, glycerine, and disodium something or other among various other chemicals and preservatives I couldn’t pronounce. I’ve talked before on this blog about my increasing level of paranoia about what’s in the food we eat. I started wondering how difficult it would be to make my own stock and this is my first attempt. Boy was it easy. I gathered up whatever veggies I could find in the vegetable bin and slow simmered them in my dutch oven with some spices and herbs. Not only was it simple and delicious, I felt good about using it because I knew what was in it.

Vegetable stock is pretty flexible ingredient-wise. As long as you have the big three – carrots, celery, and onions, you can experiment with the other stuff. Keep in mind that vegetables with strong flavors like broccoli will dominate your stock.

Homemade Vegetable Stock Recipe

Ingredients

10 cups water

3 stalks of celery

3 carrots

1 onion – cut in half

2 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

2 parsnips

2 or 3 stems of parsley

whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 tsp canola oil

Directions

1. Heat large pot over medium heat and oil.

2. Add vegetables and heat until they soften.

3. Add water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.

4. Simmer for 45 minutes.

5. Let stock cool slightly and pour through a fine strainer or sieve.

Storage

This can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Leftover stock can be frozen in 1 cup portions in plastic storage bags or plastic containers. You can also spoon stock into ice cubes trays. Pour stock into trays, cover and freeze for 2 to 3 hours. Pop cubes from trays and place in freezer bags.